Charles Shaughnessy Movies

For three college guys, it's senior year and the co-ed experience has left them high and dry. Their solution: A road trip to Mardi Gras, where beautiful babes are happy to lift their shirts and open containers are always welcome. But after dressing in drag, breaking into Carmen Electra's hotel room, starring in a scandalous sex show and accidentally exploding a feces bomb in a swank hotel lobby, will the Mardi Gras magic kick in and their wildest fantasies come true?

A diminutive mouse strives to make a mammoth change in his troubled kingdom in this adaptation of author Kate DiCamillo's Newbery Medal-winning children's book. A long time ago, in the distant kingdom of Dor, a horrible accident broke the heart of the king, left a beautiful princess crestfallen, and filled the townspeople with despair. As the sun disappeared from the sky and the flowers were drained of color, the laughter slowly ceased in this once-magical land. It was into this darkened world that a tiny mouse named Despereaux Tilling was born, and while this virtuous little rodent may have been short in stature, his bravery was ultimately too big for such a small world to contain. An unlikely hero with oversized ears and a discernible wheeze, Despereaux was taken with tales of chivalry, and longed to one day become a noble figure among his people. Sometimes in order to realize their true destiny, heroes must first experience great hardship, however, and when Despereaux fails to adhere to the rigid rules of his society, he is banished from Dor.

Later, while exploring the outer realms, the lonely Despereaux is joined by a kindhearted rat named Roscuro. Roscuro, too, has been excommunicated from his homeland, and still cannot stand to look into a mirror lest he be reminded of his painful past. Later, as Despereaux embarks on a treacherous quest to rescue the endangered Princess Pea, Roscuro is set down the path of self-destruction after receiving a painful rejection from his highness. Now, on their way to realizing their extraordinary destinies, these two unlikely heroes will face off against the malevolent leader of the sewer rats, who is plotting revenge on humans from his subterranean kingdom; befriend a common serving girl who longs to become princess; and meet a whole host of colorful characters that they will never forget. Matthew Broderick, Dustin Hoffman, Emma Watson, and Tracey Ullman lead a powerhouse cast in this animated feature produced by Gary Ross and Allison Thomas. Also lending voices to the project are Sigourney Weaver, Kevin Kline, Stanley Tucci, William H. Macy, and Christopher Lloyd. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

The rowdy students of Billingsley University arrive in Mexico on a study-abroad trip in this sequel to the collegiate comedy that left viewers in stitches. The Surveyor has left stateside port and set sail for Mexico. Now, as the spring heat flares and the azure waters beacon the ship ashore, the inhibitions and clothes of these randy students are both quickly shed. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Teenagers stand up for their rights and take on the woman who wants to scuttle their freedoms in this comedy drama inspired by a true story. Principal Weller (Julie Bowen) is the ambitious but hard-headed leader of Booker High School. Weller plans to run for superintendent of her school district, and believes if she wants to win she needs to project the image of a no-nonsense leader, and with that in mind she begins cracking down on what she sees as discipline problems at Booker High. However, in many cases what she sees as kids out of control are seen by others as kids expressing themselves, including a girl who wants to distribute condoms to recognize National Safe Sex Day, and two boys who are caught kissing in the hallway between classes. Mr. Drucker (Malik Yoba) is a teacher at Booker who tries to champion the students' rights of free expression, but his conflicts with Principal Weller end up costing him his job when he's fired for questioning her authority. Holden Donovan (Gregory Smith) is a student at Booker who is alarmed that the students have lost one of their few allies, and decides to do something about it -- along with his classmates, he sets out to establish and defend the right of free expression for high-school students, and launches a campaign against Weller's bid to become superintendent. Kids in America also stars Stephanie Sherrin, Nicole Richie, Adam Arkin, George Wendt, and Elizabeth Perkins. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Lindsay Lohan stars in this Disney Channel cable-TV movie as Lexy Gold, a rich, spoiled teenage girl. While writing the gossip column of her high school newspaper, Lexy suddenly decided to become an investigative reporter, with a favorite teacher as her "target." When the teacher turned up missing, Lexy and her pals promptly transformed themselves into private eyes, not only following clues but also publishing their findings in the local city paper. All this activity took a toll on Lexy's social life with her less privileged boyfriend Jack (Bug Hall) -- and also aroused the attention of a rather slimy corporate investigator named Falco (Charles Shaughnessy). Evidently the pilot for a weekly series, Get a Clue originally aired on June 28, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A man dating a single mother makes a really bad impression on one of her children in this comedy. Lynette Hansen (Caroline Rhea) is a single mother who has grounded her teenage kids Adam (Matt O'Leary) and Chelsea (Laura Vandervoort) for misbehaving. But Adam's best friend has scored tickets for a rock concert, while Chelsea is trying to find a way to keep a date with her boyfriend. Chelsea thinks she may have the solution when she arranges for Lynette to go on a blind date with a mysterious but good-looking stranger, Dimitri Dentatois (Charles Shaughnessy); with Mom out of the house, slipping out for some fun will be a breeze. However, the youngest member of the Hansen family, Taylor (Myles Jeffrey), is a big horror movie buff, and when he meets Dimitri, he's convinced that his mom is going out on the town with a creature of the night -- and wants to put a stop to their date before he makes her his vampire bride! Mom's Got a Date With a Vampire was produced for the cable television network The Disney Channel, where it first aired on October 13, 2000. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Adam Rifkin wrote and directed this comedy that begins at a Los Angeles dinner party when unmarried, unattached novelist Art Witz (Jason Alexander with hair) argues that couples actually live in a state of denial and cannot maintain monogamous relationships. The plotline diverges to examine the lives of couples at the dinner party, including Isaac and Claudia (Ryan Alosio and Amy Yasbeck), who have an agreement to keep their affairs secret. Medical student Sophie (Leah Lail) sees a professor when she's not with her husband, attorney Joel (Jonathan Silverman), a fan of "Oriental" massages. Despite an upcoming marriage to pregnant Sammie (Christine Taylor), chef Sam (Patrick Dempsey) can't stop looking at pornography. Shown at the 1998 Seattle Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

Season five of The Nanny begins with a wrap-up of the cliffhanger established at the end of season four, with Broadway producer Maxwell Sheffield (Charles Shaughnessy) firmly and without hesitation declaring his love for Fran Fine (Fran Drescher), the down-to-earth nanny for Maxwell's three children. Unlike the "false start" of the previous season, in which Maxwell took back his words of love, this season he fully intends to march Fran down the aisle -- which indeed happens in the season's two-part finale, with a genuine rabbi presiding over a traditional Jewish wedding ceremony. Even allow for this golden moment, season five ends on yet another cliffhanger. It seems that Fran is so enchanted by the prospect of a honeymoon cruise with Maxwell that she falls overboard -- whereupon her dutiful husband dives into the briny deep after her! Guest stars appearing this season include Roseanne as Fran's cousin Sheila in "The Morning After"; Lainie Kazan, repeating her off-and-on role as our heroine's Auntie Frieda in "The Ex-Niles"; Ray Charles, as the uncle (!) of TV personality Bryant Gumbel in "Fair Weather Fran"; Harry Hamlin as a college philosophy teacher idolized by Maxwell's daughter Maggie (Nicholle Tom) in "Educating Fran"; Scott Baio as a fledgling doctor in "Rash to Judgment"; Ray Romano in his Everybody Loves Raymond guise as Ray Barone in "The Reunion Show"; and even Nanny regular Charles Shaughnessy, appearing in the dual role of Maxwell Sheffield and a Middle Eastern sultan in "Not Without My Nanny." And we haven't even mentioned those celebrities who appear as themselves during season five, notably Elton John, Chevy Chase, Michael Bolton, columnist Cindy Adams and "The Donald's" then-inamorata, Marla Maples. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this suspenseful thriller the murder of a college co-ed's roommate puts her in danger too because the killer may be someone closer to her than she knows. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Moving from Wednesdays to Mondays, The Nanny begins its second season on CBS, with Fran Drescher as the title character. Offering 26 episodes this season (up from the previous year's 22), the series provides ample time and space for abrasive, down-to-earth Fran Fine (Drescher) to gleefully upset the decorum of the posh town house owned by her widowed employer, Broadway producer Maxwell Sheffield (Charles Shaughnessy). Despite Fran's million-and-one social gaffes, Maxwell could never bring himself to fire her as the family's nanny, especially since his children, Maggie (Nicholle Tom), Brighton (Benjamin Salisbury), and Grace (Madeline Zima), dote upon our heroine. Even the Sheffields' haughty butler, Niles (Daniel Davis), has warmed up to Fran, if for no other reason than she provides a potential threat to Niles' sworn enemy: Maxwell's bitchy, predatory business partner C.C. Babock (Laura Lane) -- who has been trying to manipulate Maxwell into marriage for years. This season, the possibility begins to arise that the relationship between Fran and Maxwell will eventually blossom into something more than "strictly business." The first clue occurs in the season opener, "Fran-Lite, in which Fran encourages Maxwell to re-enter the dating scene, only to have him go out with a woman who is exactly like her! Other episodes of note include "Everybody Needs a Bubby," in which Fran's freewheeling grandmother Yetta (Ann Morgan Guilbert) briefly moves into the Sheffield household (and now it's Fran's turn to go into the "snob" act!); "A Star Is Born," in which Fran finds herself on-stage playing Juliet, with Fran Drescher's then real-life husband, Peter Marc Jacobson, as Romeo; and the season finale, "Fran Gets Mugged," which not only offers a delightful spin on an old urban legend, but also sets up a situation whereby Fran and Maxwell come very, very close to exchanging their first romantic kiss. As in the previous season, The Nanny exploits the fact that Maxwell Sheffield is supposed to be a major producer by featuring several celebrity guest stars, cast as "themselves": Bob Barker, Sally Jessy Raphael, Steve Lawrence, Eydie Gorme, Shari Lewis, and Billy Ray Cyrus, to name but a few. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi